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Strava is expanding its Maps tool with ‘Points of Interest’, aiming to help athletes plan where to go and find essentials on the move.
Strava has combined the Open Street Maps database with the heatmap of its 95 million global athletes, to identify the most popular spots and locations for the Strava community.
When route planning, base maps in the Strava app and on the browser will show points of interest – including peaks, landmarks, photo spots, bike shops, and popular start points. While on the move, athletes in need of toilet facilities, water refill, or a snack break can reroute themselves to points like a water fountain, service station, or cafe via the Maps tab when the need arises.
Unlike car-centric maps, the addition of ‘Points of Interest’ to the base map will be built with athletes in mind, Strava said.
The new feature will be available for all athletes on the platform, with no subscription required. It will be accessible on the web via the Routes function, and on mobile through the Maps tab.
Last month, Strava launched its annual Year in Sport report, revealing the 2021 activity trends from its community of 95 million global athletes. Global activity rates on Strava continued to rise to new record levels, with over 37 million uploads per week, totalling 1.8 billion public uploads over the past 12 months.
Though the gradual return of some in-person events and races in 2021 has been much-anticipated for athletes, demand for community and connection online remain at an all-time high. This year’s 38% increase in activity uploads follows 2020’s surge of 1.1 billion uploads (a 33% increase vs. 2019). Strava welcomed two million new athletes per month to its global community, which collectively logged over 20 billion miles this year.
The report found that two-thirds of walkers on Strava also run or ride, with female runners and cyclists 2.4 times as likely to upload walks as males. Cyclists and runners who walk are also 16.1% more likely to still be active six months down the road than those who don’t.
